


Hidden Strengths

by wabbitseason



Category: Marvel 616, Young Avengers
Genre: Community: choc_fic, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-09-13
Updated: 2007-09-13
Packaged: 2017-11-06 11:31:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/418409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wabbitseason/pseuds/wabbitseason
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eli's POV on Kate. They bicker and argue all the time, but they also believe in each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hidden Strengths

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [](http://choc-fic.livejournal.com/profile)[**choc_fic**](http://choc-fic.livejournal.com/) challenge. I'm honestly a little worried there's not enough focus on Eli. Hope I'm wrong.

  
Kate and I are always fighting. The other Young Avengers always tease us about it, but truthfully, it wouldn't be the same if we agreed all the time. I just wish I could come off fighting a supervillain without feeling like I'd fought another twelve rounds with her. This time was no exception.

"What were you thinking?" I demanded. "He could have killed you with one of those energy blasts."

"You should talk! At least I didn't throw myself into battle half-cocked." Nothing ever fazed her though. Nothing seemed to scare her. I've never seen her break down. She just draws on some hidden reserves of strength. I envied her natural toughness. She didn't need any superserum to give her confidence. She just knew it inside, something I needed to learn the hard way. "You said we needed a diversion, Patriot. You said to disarm them. But I needed a better angle to get the shot off. "

Billy was right. Kate could talk her way out of the tiniest of paper bags. She always had an answer for everything. She talked a pretty good game. She backed it up even better. Give her some credit, the girl might not have any super powers, but she did have some skills. She might even be halfway pretty, if she wasn't running her mouth off all the time. Or busting my chops.

Grandma would call her fiesty. I just called her stubborn and impossible.

"You could at least thank me for saving your life... again."

I tried not to grit my teeth. "I thought we settled that."

"No, we just evened the score."

Would she ever stop harping on that one incident at the cathedral? Like I need the constant reminder she doesn't need rescuing. As if I could ever forget that. No one would ever accuse Kate Bishop of being the frail damsel in the distress. Even against Kang the Conqueror, she just matter-of-factly grabbed what weapons she could and joined the fight. No one could tell her she didn't belong. No one could dissuade her.

Who was I to try anyway? I wasn't born with any real powers either. I just wanted to make my Granddad proud, so the legacy of the first Captain America would be a positive one, not of shame, but of pride. That's all I wanted. But I screwed everything up. I have a chance now to make things right now. Everyone's counting on me, including my teammates.

"You really should think before you leap next time, Eli. You may have powers, but you're not..." Her eyes were unreadable under those tinted glasses, her mouth turned in of those half-smiles, half-frowns she's perfected so well. Cassie might have been able to tell what she was thinking, but I sure couldn't. "At least you weren't shot this time." For a moment, there were a softness under all those edges. She didn't show that side often. I was surprised she showed it to me, of all people. I was reminded of how she stood by me, how she believed in me. Maybe she saw my hidden strength.

I broke the moment by giving her a playful nudge. "Careful there, Kate, someone might actually think you liked me."

Kate scowled, "Someone would think you were trying to impress me. You weren't, were you?"

"Nah, course not," I grinned. "I would have tried something flashier."

Kate didn't have an answer for that.  



End file.
